Overseas
Maine Highland Games: A celebration of Scottish heritage and culture
Did you know that Maine has the highest concentration of people with Scottish ancestry in the United States? Ahead of the 45th Maine Highland Games, Rosie Morton speaks with Shari Rodden, Events Director of the Games, to learn more about her ties with Old Alba. Where did your great love of Scotland begin? It has…
Read MoreDiscovering the soul of sauna in Finland’s Tampere
Did you know that there are around three million saunas in Finland? And given there are only around 5.5million people, that’s an awful lot of Löyly (that’s the steam that is generated when water is poured over hot coals) per head. And nowhere has more steam than the city of Tampere. Situated slap bang in…
Read MoreTravel: Going green in Prague and Central Bohemia
Living just outside Edinburgh, I’m all too aware that the effects of tourism on some of the world’s most visited cities can be negative as well as positive. And that’s at the front of my mind as I fly into another of the world’s most beautiful and historic cities – Prague. I enjoy travel but…
Read MoreReview – Hotel Edelweiss, Zurs, Austria
Watching the progress of our journey on my phone map and looking up towards our destination, Zürs, it was difficult to imagine how our transport would manage the near vertical ascent to our hotel from the valley floor. The traverse of twists, turns and tunnels brought us up and over the Flexen Pass and to…
Read MoreSearching for Sugarlandia – The Philippines with Don Papa Rum
I’ve always been captivated by the stories behind Scotland’s whiskies. Tales of illicit stills, brave pioneers, families working together and on occasion tearing each other apart, have always been whispered on the wind that sways the fields of barley and in the rushing rivers that provide the crystal-clear water that make Scotch whisky. Today, they…
Read MoreREVIEW: Viking Cruises,Treasures of the Rhine
I’ll be honest. I never thought I’d embark on a cruise. The very concept was enough to raise the blood pressure. Tacky entertainment, screaming children, unimaginative food, and the inability to find five minutes’ peace? For the sake of sanity, I’d rather stay at home. But that was before I was introduced to Viking Cruises,…
Read MoreReview: Leukerbad, Switzerland
There are three main reasons for visiting this achingly scenic ski resort in the Swiss Valais region: the thermal springs which the town claims are the biggest in the Alps, an eight-hour Via Ferrata which is the scariest I’ve ever seen, and access to some quite amazing ski touring. Skiing This is a small resort…
Read MoreReview: We take to the slopes for some skiing in Alta Badia
Alta Badia in the South Tyrol, which features on the World Cup downhill circuit each year, is part of the famous Sella Ronda and also integral to the massive Dolomiti Superski ski area, is one of the key ski resorts in the Italian Dolomites. With its stunning panoramas, laid-back vibe, beautiful little villages, predominantly blue…
Read MoreA green revolution in the Alps: why Les Arcs remains the go-to resort for skiers
Les Arcs is easy to get to, relatively inexpensive and has a huge variety of skiing – which is why it remains a go-to resort for skiers from these shores. But now it is also ploughing a green ecologically sympathetic furrow that is also winning it plaudits, finds Richard Bath. Les Arcs in a nutshell…
Read MoreUnbridled luxury at Hostal de La Gavina on Spain’s Costa Brava
I’VE seldom been in as good company as we graze on a seemingly infinite selection of tapas and gaze across the tiled courtyard garden at Hostal de La Gavina. Framed prints of Spanish royalty and a host of Hollywood’s finest including Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery and Jack Nicholson reveal just some of the guests who…
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